The Climate Minute

We're back again recording, unfortunately without our new contributor Eugenia, but at least we managed to be able to hit "record" and actually get sound this week!This week we're all about choices; sometimes tough choices like turbines vs. bald eagles, and sometimes what should be an easy choice -- we're not going to drive a vehicle that gets the same gas mileage cars were getting thirty years ago! First up, some activists howled when the Administration made new rules this week that will protect wind generators from prosecution for bird deaths, particularly protected birds like Bald Eagles, for the foreseeable future.Does the need for alternative energy outweigh the protections we've created for certain species? And there are efforts to try and minimize turbine impacts on wildlife.The Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments about the EPA's cross-state air pollution rule. The gist of the issue here is that the EPA has developed rules which give it some flexibility in dealing with air pollution based more on the cost-effectiveness of pollution control than the actual percentage contribution each particular state is making to address air pollution.Ted and Rob compare two instances of lawsuits being used to confound power plants. In one case it's efforts to raise questions about a new natural gas plant in Salem, while in another it's a very small group of people who are trying to derail Cape Wind, the largest off-shore wind project underway in the country.The Salem case is leading to all sorts of interesting behaviors, from the state representative from the area filing legislation to attempt to block all appeals of permits (which is hardly cricket in a litigious little state like Massachusetts), and what appears to be a situation wherelocal environmental activists support the new plant while a large regional environmental groupis trying to stop it.Rob got his high-dudgeon on when he saw EPA gloating over the highest fleet-wide MPG ratings for new cars. He finds this particularly galling when clearly the technology is there (and affordable) for people to be driving ultra efficient hybrids or plug-in battery electrics, and we're celebrating an efficiency average that is no better than the MPG rating of a 1985 Buick Century. If we can only improve the Ford Mustang's MPG rating by three miles to the gallon in thirty years how are we ever going to significantly reduce gasoline usage?Finally, as we mention last week, the State of Massachusetts has unveiled a revamped Dashboard showing their progress in meeting the state's lofty global warming goals. Check it out and let us know what you think.Remember, for more climate activities near you check out our MCAN climate action calendar. You can enter events as well as browse for interesting things to do.As always, it’s been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you. You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here. Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email. You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog.When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Your generous donations help us continue to bring climate news and views to you through our podcast and blogs, but also help support the Annual MCAN conference (this year on March 2nd, at Northeastern University), and our local climate action.So we will close the way we always close, by saying that because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions- specifically to pay for the full cost of carbon pollution at the time we create it, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the US put a price on carbon.Download Enhanced Podcas

Happy Thanksgiving from the Massachusetts Climate Action Network! This week, Ted discusses a recent paper published in the journal Climatic Change, entitled “Tracing anthropogenic carbon dioxide and methane emissions to fossil fuel and cement producers, 1854–2010”, by Richard Heede.  The paper is summarized in the British paper The Guardian (which has become something of a beacon of light given the sad happenings at the New York Times!) As a final topper, the podcast “On the Green Front” has our friend D.R. Tucker interviewing the author himself. There is a lot to unpack in the article, but it provides an interesting complementary view of how we got to over 400ppm of CO2 in the air. The story down in Falmouth reminds us of Machiavelli’s quote (although he said it in in Italian) “It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institution and merely lukewarm defenders in those who gain by the new ones. ” It seems that a few people in Falmouth want to preserve the “old institutions.” A judge agreed that the turbines might be a nuisance and issued a preliminary injunction against night time operation. Over at The Green Miles they point out a few aspects of the medical claims that will make you grind your teeth in frustration! In Warsaw, the COP ended with a mild agreement to help get countries to make announcements of their intended level of carbon pollution reduction levels well in advance of the next 2015 COP in Paris. You can read the summary here  or revel in the US’ relative good standing compared some others, like Canada and Austrailia. If you like cars, you will love a recent report on the advent of hydrogen powered fuel cell cars. What’s a fuel cell? Go here. Remember, for more climate activities near you check out our MCAN climate action calendar. You can enter events as well as browse for interesting things to do. As always, it’s been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you. You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here. Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email. You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog. When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Your generous donations help us continue to bring climate news and views to you through our podcast and blogs, but also help support the Annual MCAN conference (this year on March 2nd, at Northeastern University), and our local climate action. So we will close the way we always close, by saying that because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions- specifically to pay for the full cost of carbon pollution at the time we create it, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the US put a price on carbon.Download Enhanced Podcas

Another week, another example of extreme weather pointing us toward what will be the new normal in a climate-damaged world.  This week Ted and Rob are joined by DR Tucker, the prolific blogger, commentator, and cynical optimist as we try to make some sense out of the week's events. Now, the links Dr. Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University's Earth Institute was a guest on PRN's "On The Greenfront" with Betsy Rosenberg and DR, talking about the recent monster storms and their potential to force our government to finally aggressively address climate change.  Dr. Sachs had the same message in an op-ed in the Washington Post. Mindy Lubber, the President of CERES which works with businesses to help the address their climate footprint, thinks that the investor sector will play a large role in getting companies to focus on climate change.  Her slightly different op-eds in  The Guardian and Forbes this week highlight efforts by large investor groups calling on large companies to explain how they are positioning themselves to address the new realities of carbon regulation and the coming post-carbon world. The recent tornadoes in the midwest provided an opportunity to discuss the seemingly increasing incidence of extreme weather events (and reach a whole new audience, as fantasy football players everywhere had to wait through a tornado-caused delay in the Bears-Ravens game), and also gave birth to another Richard Muller and Michael Mann dust-up. Muller, you may remember, is the former climate skeptic who famously "converted" into a climate change believer in 2012.  The most interesting part of that journey is Muller had previously been heavily supported by the Koch brothers...  Anyway, Muller has an op-ed in the New York Times calling "time out" on the speculation that climate change has anything to do with tornado activity -- well, if anything, it might actually decrease the severity and number of storms. Muller quoted climate scientist Michael Mann in his New York Times piece, which Mann felt took his statements out of context, leading to a rebuttal from Mann in the Huffington Post.  What's the take away?  Well, at the end of the day, both Mann and Muller acknowledge anthropomorphic climate change is happening.  There are certainly instances where a changing climate may have a beneficial side effect - increased rainfall in previously arid areas, perhaps, or opening new lands to agriculture -- but certainly on balance the negative impacts (and the uncertainty over the unknown yet to be realized consequences) surely lead to a recognition that climate change needs to be minimized to ensure a safe future for humankind.  I think a more useful approach by both Mann and Muller would be to acknowledge the overall problem, and take a more humble tact with respect to particular impacts; isn't "this may be happening" enough to raise alarm? In other news, the Warsaw Conference of the Parties talks are winding down with few concrete results.  Yesterday a number of NGOs  (non-governmental organizations) walked out of the talks to protest lack of action.  Here's Rob's thoughts (which most likely aren't shared by DR or Ted, but hey, I'm writing this section):  Bravo.  You walked out.  What did you accomplish in doing so?  You said your time shouldn't be wasted in non-productive talks -- what did you use the time to do?  Did you all go out an weatherize some homes, or build a wind turbine, or plant trees instead?  No, you held a press conference.  You complained about lack of action and took off.  Unfortunately, whether you like it or not, the only place where an international agreement on climate can be reached is within these talks.  Either you're at the table, or you're not.  And if you're not at the table (and outside the house, throwing bricks at the house...), you're not likely to have a real impact.  End of Rob's soapbox. The irony here is that the United States may finally be being seen as havi

Typhoon Haiyun, and yet another climate meeting with little prospect for meaningful action have Ted a bit down, but Rob tries to give reasons why soldiering on is possible on this week's Climate Minute. Now, the links Typhoon Haiyun devastated the Philippines last week, and out hearts go out to the thousands displaced or lost in the mega-storm.  But was climate change to blame?  Folks at the World Meteorological Society point out that even if climate change wasn't the cause of the Typhoon, changes over the last 100 years, including sea level rise, made the storm much more intense than it would have been otherwise.  Delaware Governor Jack Martell and Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse are also raising the connection. The 19th Conference of Parties is kicking off in Warsaw, Poland.  Expectations of game-changing agreements are low even with mounting evidence of climate damage.  Meanwhile the government of Poland is hosting a summit called by the World Coal Association seeking to seek lower-emissions solutions to keep coal a relevant energy source well into the next century.  Talk about mixed messages... In the face of all this though, new research out from Stanford University social psychologist Jon Krosnick shows that there's significant understanding of climate change and support for climate action across the country -- including red states like Oklahoma and Texas. And we're clearly making gains in renewable power.  In fact, solar power's success in Arizona has the utilities concerned and looking to levy new charges against customers who have solar on their roofs.  The utilities are actually bankrolling third party ads against solar power.  Solar power advocates must be doing something right. In other neat news, the Boston Redevelopment Authority will shortly adopt new regulations requiring developers to consider climate impacts -- including storm resilience -- in new large buildings.  That's good news, no? Meanwhile, in Washington, the White House has been busy on twitter, including tweeting about the continuing surge in domestic oil production.  While lowering reliance on foreign oil is a good thing, tagging the the tweet with the hashtag #climateaction was perhaps a bit much. On the lighter side, Star Trek fans will understand what we're talking about when we say that there are apparently billions of M-Class planets out there.  The Kepler Telescope has been scanning our galaxy and NASA scientists have determined there are about 8.8 billion planets in the Milky Way that are in the "habitable zone" where water can be found in its liquid state.  So we've got that going for us... Things to do "You Had Me at Pigovian..." is the alluring tagline of an event being held Tuesday, November 19th, at Babson University discussing the importance of a carbon tax. See more information here. The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance is holding their Annual Conference (with speaker Governor Deval Patrick) on Wednesday, November 20th at the Boston Convention Center.  Read more about the conference and register here. Remember, for more climate activities near you check out our MCAN climate action calendar. You can enter events as well as browse for interesting things to do. As always, it’s been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you. You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here. Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email. You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog. When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Your generous donations help us continue to bring climate news and views to you through our podcast and blogs, but also help support the Annual MCAN conference (this year on March 2nd, at Northeastern University), and our local climate action. So we will close the way we always close,

We're back with another edition of the Climate Minute, and Ted and Rob are once again gloating about Massachusetts' continued dominance: the Red Sox are champions, and the state is number one in Energy Efficiency. Yes, we are unbearable... Now, the links Massachusetts "three-peats" on energy efficiency, securing a first place in the American Council for and Energy Efficient Economy's state rankings for the third year in a row. Have you had an energy assessment lately?  WHY NOT?!?  Go to the MassSave site and sign up for one right now!  Go on, we'll wait. For an interesting explanation of how Massachusetts came to adopt some of the strongest efficiency programs in the country, check out this article.  Worth it for the explanation of how the phrase "the rat gets the cheese" became emblematic of energy efficiency programs -- and how it stemmed from a utility executive volunteering that he was the rat... The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources is taking comments about the future of the Stretch Code, the state's alternative high efficiency building code in anticipation of developing a replacement code.  They recently ran a webinar talking about the code and giving the questions they are looking for answers to, which you can find here, or send comments to the state via the email address Stretchcode@state.ma.us. To check out the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan and read about the state's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, go here. Read about the President's Executive Order on Climate Preparedness here.  As the post suggests, this is a welcome addition to the federal climate change response and will focus efforts on strengthening climate resilience. As we mentioned, Dr. James Hansen, Dr. Kerry Emmanuel, and other eminent climate scientists have called for a re-examination of nuclear power as a bridge source away from fossil fuels to renewables. For more discussion on the connection between climate change and capitalism, here's a good place to start.  Do you think capitalism is a core cause of climate change, which is where Ted is, or do you lean toward Rob's opinion that climate change is an impact of human activity, capitalistic, communistic and other, and we need to drop the value judgements and work on solutions? Finally, our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of the Philippines as they recover from Typhoon Haiyan, a "super typhoon" with sustained winds of 190 mph and peak winds of 230 mph.  We're not saying climate change is the cause of Typhoon Haiyan, but... Things to do "You Had Me at Pigovian..." is the alluring tagline of an event being held Tuesday, November 19th, at Babson University discussing the importance of a carbon tax.  See more information here. Remember, for more climate activities near you check out our MCAN climate action calendar.  You can enter events as well as browse for interesting things to do. As always, it’s been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you.  You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here.  Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email.  You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog. When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Every dollar you give will be doubled by a generous backer, so long as we reach our fundraising goal.   So we will close the way we always close, by saying that because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions,  because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is a patriotic duty as citizens, we insist that the US put a price on carbon. Good bye and see you next week…Download Enhanced Podcas

It's been an exhausting week here in New England with a certain local team made good while depriving the entire region of sleep for about two weeks, but we're here bright and early with this week's edition of The Climate Minute.   This week Ted and Rob talk carbon bubbles, wonder if we've learned anything since Superstorm Sandy, and even talk about revolutionary scientists plotting the overthrow of capitalism.   Well, not quite... Now, the links First tulips, then housing, and now carbon.  For more discussion of the coming "carbon bubble," check out Bloomberg's report here (how apropos that the writer of that one is Justin Doom - you can't make this stuff up), and for Al Gore's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, check this link. While we're talking bubbles and stock values, the stock market provides an instructive analog to climate change and temperature.  Remember - we're talking trends, not fluctuations. Several sites have done Sandy Anniversary stories.  Tom Ashbrook did an On Point episode you can listen to here, and continuing our public radio obsessions, here's a piece from the Bill Moyers & Friends site. For a nifty tool to assess your community's energy efficiency, download the ACEEE tool here. Finally, Ted's favorite Naomi Klein, is causing trouble again -- or more accurately talking with scientists who are causing trouble -- suggesting that science is telling us it's time to revolt against the dominant capitalistic paradigm! Things to do The "Playing for the Planet" world music benefit will be taking place tomorrow, November 2nd, at 7pm at Emmanual Church in Boston.  The concert benefits our good friends at 350Massachusetts.  For more information, go here. The EPA is taking “their show on the road” and is doing a “public listening tour” taking public input on their newly announced powerplant co2 rules.  They will be coming to Boston on November 4th, you can sign up to testify here. "You Had Me at Pigovian..." is the alluring tagline of an event being held Tuesday, November 19th, at Babson University discussing the importance of a carbon tax.  See more information here. Remember, for more climate activities near you check out our MCAN climate action calendar.  You can enter events as well as browse for interesting things to do. As always, it’s been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you.  You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here.  Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email.  You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog. When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Every dollar you give will be doubled by a generous backer, so long as we reach our fundraising goal.   So we will close the way we always close, by saying that because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions,  because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is a patriotic duty as citizens, we insist that the US put a price on carbon. Good bye and see you next week…  Download Enhanced Podcas

If it’s Friday, it’s the Climate Minute, thank you for joining us!  This week Rob and Ted reflect upon the week’s climate news, including an unexpected danger of fracking, a good news / bad news emissions story, and a kind listener takes us to task for pastry-related crimes… Now, the links Good News / Bad News: CO2 emissions are down, even with increase gross national product and more energy production.  However, all that natural gas use means methane emissions (from leaks in the natural gas delivery system) are up, and we all know how bad methane is compared to CO2... For carbon wonks, California has unveiled the “California Carbon Dashboard,” which has links and info about all things AB32-related.  AB32, of course, is California’s groundbreaking carbon regulation law. We first noted the apparent connection between subsurface fracking wastewater disposal and seismic activity several months ago, now the US Geological Survey has ruled out natural causes as the source of the recent “earthquake swarm” reported in the Oklahoma area. Is time running out for Cape Wind?  Grist has an interesting report that the clock is ticking.  The project needs to get underway before the end of this year, or some very important tax breaks and $200 million in financing disappear… Remember those Greenpeace “pirates” from last week?  Well, the Russian government has downgraded them to “hooligans.”  Sadly the penalty for hooliganism in Russia is up to seven years in jail. Which reminds me of our listener mail.  We apologize to the Russian security forces that we mistakenly accused of wearing dessert on their heads when they busted those dangerous Greenpeace activists.  Apparently you eat baklava, and wear a balaclava… Finally, for your weekly roundup of politics, here's a piece about Ted Cruz, Rachel Maddow talks about the history of "good governance" with historian Michael Beschloss, and Robert Reich wrote a very interesting piece in Commondreams about the focus on deficits and the "size of government" distract from the real problems in American governance. Things to do Go hear MCAN Board Member (oh, yeah, and head of the Better Future Project) Craig Altemose as he speaks about the need to build a movement to address the climate crisis tonight, at 7:30pm, First Parish, Concord.  Here’s our calendar listing. Cambridge City Council candidates will meet at a forum on Energy and the Environment on Oct 30th, at the Cambridge Senior Citizens Center. The EPA is taking “their show on the road” and is doing a “public listening tour” taking public input on their newly announced powerplant co2 rules.  They will be coming to Boston on November 4th, you can sign up to testify here. "You Had Me at Pigovian..." is the alluring tagline of an event being held Tuesday, November 19th, at Babson University discussing the importance of a carbon tax.  See more information here. Remember, for more climate activities near you check out our MCAN climate action calendar.  You can enter events as well as browse for interesting things to do. As always, it’s been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you.  You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here.  Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email.  You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog. When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Every dollar you give will be doubled by a generous backer, so long as we reach our fundraising goal.   So we will close the way we always close, by saying that because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions,  because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is a patriotic duty as citizens, we insist that the US put a

In this week's Climate Minute Rob and Ted show why they didn't go to law school as they talk the Supreme Court's decision to hear cases related to EPA's regulation of greenhouse gases. We also take Emily Rooney to task (lightly and respectfully) for crediting the Koch Brother's efforts as "debunking," which implies something we don't think (hope) she didn't mean to imply, and we hail the creation of the first Community Solar Garden in Massachusetts which gives everyone, regardless of roof or tree situation, the ability to get in on clean, renewable power.The LinksWe did a minor roundup of initial reaction to the Supreme Court's granting of certiorari for several cases involving the EPA's greenhouse gas regulations in a blog this week. Here's an updated post from Legal Planet with more thoughts about what this case means. Energy and Environment TV has an interview with an ex-Deptarment of Justice official who provides some of his thoughts, here.Next time you get frustrated with something going on (or not) in America, remind yourself if could be worse. The Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunset, which has been involved in anti-drilling activities in the arctic, was stormed by "baclava-masked" Russian security agents and the 30 people on board have been arrested and charged with piracy (which carries a 10-15 year prison sentence in Russia). The latest is that Russian authorities claim to have found drugs on-board, which Greenpeace categorically denies. Now granted, the activists did try to board a Russian ship and oil rig, but "piracy"? Clearly Putin's not about to have his dreams of Arctic drilling derailed.Emily Rooney of WGBH got Ted's goat when she gave the Koch Brothers a little too much credit by calling their work "debunking" -- rather than outright denial of fact... But maybe that's just us. You can read more here (check out the comments), or check out the video below.http://youtu.be/djVh1td7m7YCyclone Phailin was a category 4, "Sandy-sized" storm that hit the second most populous nation in the world, and did you hear a thing about it? Probably not. Here's some neat satellite imagery of Phailin, as well as two other mammoth storms impacting Asia.We spoke briefly of greentech investor Jigar Shah and his feelings that market innovation is at least as important as technological innovation in advancing renewables. You can hear the podcast here.Speaking of the market, WGBH had a short segment discussing the changing energy market in New England, and how these changes influenced the announced closure of the Brayton Point Station power plant. Here's the embedded video:http://youtu.be/r04FpKhlZPIWe discussed the Harvard Community Solar Garden, a first-of-its-kind community solar project in Harvard, Massachusetts. The Garden is similar to "community supported agriculture" where individuals can become subscribers and buy a share of the solar array's output. Anyone in the National Grid western and central Mass (WCMA) load zone (check out your community's zone here) can purchase a 3kw to 15kw "share" of the project and receive a portion of the solar production. For more about the Harvard project, go here. For more about Solar Gardens in general, check out the Solar Gardens website here.Finally, for a little video to make you feel all warm and fuzzy, check Vice President Biden and Gina McCarthy welcoming EPA employees back to work.Things to do:On the 22nd there will be another opportunity to hear where the two remaining candidates for Mayor of Boston stand on energy and environmental issues. The second conversation regarding energy, the environment and the green economy will be held on from 1 to 2:30pm at the Old South Meetinghouse. You can download the flyer here. The event is free, but you can register for it here.Go hear MCAN Board Member (oh, yeah, and head of the Better Future Project) Craig Altemose as he speaks about the need to

It's Climate Minute time, here's your weekly smorgasbord of links you can read while avoiding "real work."  This week we talk about the surprise (to some) announcement that the Brayton Point coal plant will be closing by June of 2017.  Also on the punch list?  Neat new technology that makes solar power a 24-hour proposition, overrspending the Earth's carbon budget, and it may never be cooler than it is now... The Links. For more about the planned closure of the Brayton Point coal plant, you can read pieces at ThinkProgress, The Providence Journal (which has an excellent roundup of the "perfect storm" of factors leading to Brayton's closure), and this piece from South Coast Today which deals with some of the imapct to the host community Brayton's closure will have. Remember Bill McKibben's "Do The Math" tour?  The premise was that there is a finite amount of carbon we can put into the atmosphere and still expect to have a recognizable climate.  The latest IPCC report has taken that view and run with it, and has incorporated calculations into the latest version which show some frightening results. In other bad news, a new study released in the journal Nature finds that within 30-50 years we will reach a point where our coolest years are hotter than the high temperature years of the past 100 years...  The study looked at scenarios where no serious efforts to curb emissions were made, resulting in a stunning 900+ppm of carbon (little less than three times the amount today), and a carbon constrained model where efforts to reduce emissions lead to a worldwide average of 530+ppm.  The story is currently also in the Boston Globe. But let's leave on a positive note.  A recently opened 280MW solar field in Arizona has become the first large-scale project in the United States to use molten salt (molten salt!) to "store" solar energy in the form of heat to the plant can produce power day and night. While there have been smaller scale facilities created with this technology, this is a utility scale system capable of powering 70,000 homes.    While it's land intensives at 3 square miles, this is the perfect facility for sun-soaked and under-populated areas like the American southwest. Things to do: Remember, if you live in the 5th Congressional district in Massachusetts you will be going to the polls on Tuesday for the primary to choose your next member of congress.  Find out where to vote here.  Who to vote for, well, we can't help you there... On the 22nd there will be another opportunity to hear where the two remaining candidates for Mayor of Boston stand on energy and environmental issues.  The second conversation regarding energy, the environment and the green economy will be held on from 1 to 2:30pm at the Old South Meetinghouse.  You can download the flyer here. Go hear MCAN Board Member (oh, yeah, and head of the Better Future Project) Craig Altemose as he speaks about the need to build a movement to address the climate crisis on October 25th, at 7:30pm, First Parish, Concord.  Here's our calendar listing. Cambridge City Council candidates will meet at a forum on Energy and the Environment on Oct 30th, at the Cambridge Senior Citizens Center. Remember, for more climate activities near you check out our MCAN climate action calendar.  You can enter events as well as browse for interesting things to do. As always, it’s been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you.  You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here.  Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email.  You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog. When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Every dollar you give will be doubled by a generous backer, so long as we reach our fundraising goal.   So we will close the way we

It's Climate Minute time, and here's the links version of the podcast.  Grab a cuppa' and listen while we talk shutdowns, IPCC report, Koch Daycare, and just what the heck the discount rate means for climate change... (and just what the heck is a discount rate?) The Links. The Shutdown has pulled attention away from anything of substance, but there is a climate hook there too.   Huffington Post reports that up to 94% of EPA employees will be idled, while oil and gas producers might just be chuckling about the whole thing. Politico has a good roundup of the various ways the shutdown will impact environment and energy programs. Former Senator John Sununu's op-ed in the Globe comparing the EPA's obligation to regulate carbon emissions to the hunt for Col. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now is still available in the free site, as of this morning.  Check it out before it goes behind the pay wall. Speaking of important, non-shutdown related news, here's a good summary of the more salient points in the latest IPCC report. As we mentioned, billionaire climate denier David Koch donated $20 million to MIT for daycare for students and employees of the university.  This is on top of the some $150 million Koch has donated to the university over the years.  So here's the question for you: should MIT, an institution devoted to scientific truth, take Koch's money, even if it's for good purposes?  Here - tell us what you think: [polldaddy poll=7449348] Read more about the discount rate, and how the value of money over time might change some of the calculus about taking action on climate change, check out this Bloomberg article. Finally, check out this great video of a Fox announcer trying to hide his disdain for the alignment of Tea Party and renewable energy advocates in Georgia. Things to do: Oct 6th on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the Boston Local Food Festival. AltWheels Fleet Day is Oct 7th, at the Four Points Sheaton, Norwood. On Wednesday, October 9th, the group Forecast the Facts will bring over 50,000 signatures to WGBH's Board of Trustees meeting calling for the removal of climate denier David Koch from the 'GBH board.  You can sign up to attend the public demonstration here. Cambridge City Council candidates will meet at a forum on Energy and the Environment on Oct 30th, at the Cambridge Senior Citizens Center. Remember, for more climate activities near you check out our MCAN climate action calendar.  You can enter events as well as browse for interesting things to do. As always, it’s been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you.  You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here.  Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email.  You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog. When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Every dollar you give will be doubled by a generous backer, so long as we reach our fundraising goal.   So we will close the way we always close, by saying that because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions,  because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is a patriotic duty as citizens, we insist that the US put a price on carbon. Good bye and see you next week…Download Enhanced Podcas

Welcome to the links n' stuff version of The Climate Minute, MCAN's weekly climate news and views podcast. This week Rob and Ted talk about the IPCC report, the new EPA regs released moments, MOMENTS!, after Rob and Ted speculated about what might be in them last week, and a pot purri of climate happenings. So, last week the EPA released its long-awaited new source review regulations addressing carbon pollution from new power plants. As reported, new coal power plants will be held to a CO2 emissions limit well below what they currently emit, and will need to incorporate new technology, specifically carbon capture and storage technology, to remove the CO2 from their smokestack emissions.   Many on both sides of the issue warn that carbon capture technology is new and relatively untested. (Here's the industry's argument, and here's the Sierra Club's askance view of CCS.) For a story about a coal plant being built with CCS technology, check out this story about the Kemper Plant in Mississippi. Interestingly enough, one of the most advanced carbon capture setups in the world is at a natural gas powerplant in Bellingham, Massachusetts some six miles as the crow flies from where we record this podcast.  The technology in use there for over ten years, carries the promise of being able to remove up to 90% of CO2 from coal plant emissions. You might recall that last week EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Committee (well, actually the Energy and Power subcommittee) to talk about the Administration's climate plans.  We dicsussed the hearing last week, but one thing caught our eyes that we figured out after last week's podcast so we thought we'd mention it. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="333"] (credit Greenpeace)[/caption] If you saw pictures of the hearing you likely saw several people in the audience wearing tinfoil hats.  The picture on the right is from a Thinkprogress story about the hearing, which mentioned the tinfoil hat wearing audience members, but didn't who they were and what point they were trying to make. Well, turns out these were Greenpeace protesters drawing attention to the rather antediluvian climate positions of some members of the committee.  For more about the protest and a nice roundup of some of the more.... erroneous?... statements made at the hearing, check out this story. Gina McCarthy went on the Rachel Maddow show and talked about the proposed carbon plans (don't let the discussion of fat-head minnows throw you off). Finally, the discussion of new EPA carbon rules has reignited some discussion of alternatives such as Cap and Trade, like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Inititiave in New England.  Check out Vermont Public Radio's story here. In other huge news, the latest IPCC report was released today in Stockholm.  Mother Jones is liveblogging the event here.  You can download the official IPCC press release, and for a pdf of the headline statements (which Ted read from during the podcast), go here.  And here's the full 36 page version of the "summary for Policymakers."  Finally, here's the IPCC home page with links to a number of resources. Briefly, a tip of the cap to Fox25 meteorologist Kevin Lemanowicz for his informative report about the 1938 hurricane that devastated New England, and his mention of how the changing climate will influence extreme events like hurricanes. Things to Do: If you’re thinking about changing careers toward something more sustainable, the Fifth annual Green Careers Conference is coming up Thursday, October 3rd, at the Marlboro Holiday Inn. On Wednesday, October 9th, the group Forecast the Facts will bring over 50,000 signatures to WGBH's Board of Trustees meeting calling for the removal of climate denier David Koch from the 'GBH board.  You can sign up to attend the public demonstration here. Remember, for more climate activiti

Yesterday in Providence Rhode Island, a band of concerned citizens marched from the City Hall to the Statehouse demanding an end to the Keystone XL pipeline. The attached “Climate Hawk’s Companion” podcast features discussion with some of the marchers who described why they made the effort to be part of the event. If you want to visualize just how big the tarsands pits really are, check out a recent MCAN blog post. There are great pictures from various “Draw the Line” events across the country collected here. As you tumble through them, the panoramic, ‘fish eye’ lens photo of folks holding hands in the air is from the Rhode Island Statehouse. For Huffington Posts' coverage of Saturday's events, check this out. For more background on the Keystone pipeline, check out our previous posts on the issue here.  One good place to start is our point-by-point refutation of many of the purported "benefits" of the pipeline here. Congratulations to all who attended!Download Enhanced Podcas

If it's Friday, it's the Climate Minute, your weekly source of climate change related news and views.  Big day as the EPA is about to announce new powerplant CO2 rules, the IPCC report is about to go out next week, and skeptics are going into overdrive... Now for the links: The EPA has just announced their new regulations to address carbon pollution from new powerplants.   As we recorded this podcast we only had advance stories, like those from the New York Times, for those not on board with climate change action: Washington Times, and this story from Canada Free Press which had an interesting mention of a possible $15/ton "fine" for coal plants unable to meet the strict limits.  (Which actually looks a lot like a proto-carbon tax.) Since we recorded (like minutes after we ended), EPA announced their regs, which you can find on this page.  For an audio message from EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, go here. (By the way, did you know only 50 coal plants emit a full 12% of US carbon emissions?  No kidding, check this out.) Naturally all this climate action (IPCC and new powerplant regs) leads to an opposite reaction, and the Skeptics have been busy. First, the House Energy and Commerce Committee had a hearing on the President's climate action which "only" drew two cabinet level witnesses, Gina and Energy Secretary Ernie Moniz.  If you have three hours to kill you can always watch the YouTube video. For the "best and worst" quotes from the hearing, as judged by Grist, go here. Next, our good buddies (sarcasm alert) at the Heartland Institute have launched a bizzaro-world IPCC report, the NIPCC (Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change, oh how clever...) "Climate Change Reconsidered II" which, in their words, "uses layman's language to present solid evidence that today's climate changes are well within the bounds of natural variability."  Here's an Inside Climate story about the efforts, and if you're game, here's the report itself.  Does fracking release less methane than EPA has previously estimated?  A study underway by the Environmental Defense Fund, University of Texas, and nine petroleum companies may be leading to that conclusion.  Read more about it on Grist here. Sunday night Al Jazeera America will show Bill McKibben's "Do The Math" documentary at 9:00pm Eastern. This Sunday marks the Autumnal Equinox, and by mid-week days and nights will be equal in New England as we plow ahead toward summer. And finally, our thoughts and prayers are with those in Colorado impacted by the recent floods. Things to Do: For more about 350.org's "Draw the Line Against Keystone" events, and to find one near you, go here.  You can enter your zipcode in the box on the upper left and find an event near you, or create your own event. You can support a great organization while helping to honor an excellent local activist at the Clean Water Action's Annual Benefit party on Saturday, September 21st from 3 to 5pm, where Boston Climate Action's Loie Hayes will be recognized for her tremendous activism on the local level. If you're thinking about changing careers toward something more sustainable, the Fifth annual Green Careers Conference is coming up Thursday, October 3rd, at the Marlboro Holiday Inn. Remember, for more climate activities near you check out our MCAN climate action calendar.  You can enter events as well as browse for interesting things to do. As always, it’s been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you.  You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here.  Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email.  You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog. When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Every dollar you give will be doubled by a generous backer, so

Welcome to The Climate Minute, your source of news and views.  This week we take a ook at the little dust-up between Naomi Klein and Joe Romm, discuss hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs), and indulge boyhood fantasies of electric racecars.... Now for the links: As I mentioned, we discussed Naomi Klein's interview with Earth Island Journal.  In it she lays some of the lack of real climate action on the "Big Green" groups that try to work with business and end up supporting less-than-paradigm shifting programs (like cap and trade). Here's Grist's coverage of the mini-kerfuffle her comments made, as well as Joe Romm's "take down" of her piece.Interestingly, Rolling Stone is becoming a reliable source of interesting climate news.  Here's a very good piece explaining the IPCC and what the most recent report will say.  For your amusement, here's a piece they ran back in June compiling the "Top Ten Dumbest Things Ever Said About Global Warming."For your friends who may have some confusion over weather and climate, here's a nifty video that helps explain the difference between trend and variation:We briefly discussed recent international agreements to reduce soot carbon and HFCs.  For a full discussion of the importance of these treaties, check out Climate Central's story here.The only thing I worry about with electric car racing is the lack of the "vroom vroom" sounds.  Will children of the future move their Matchbox cars while making a "hmmm hmmm" or "buzz buzz" noise?Things to Do:The Massachusetts updated Bottle Bill will be heard this Tuesday at 1pm in the Gardner Auditorium of the State House.  As we mentioned on the podcast, the Bottle Bill is first an important piece of legislation which will increase recycling and eliminate the incineration of plastic bottles, but is also a great issue to show the leadership of the Massachusetts legislature that the people want action and will not be ignored!350.org's Bill McKibben will be at Harvard this Tuesday, the 17th also, giving a talk titled "Oil and Honey, Notes from a Rapidly Changing Climate," hosted by the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement.  The event is free, but registration is required.For more about 350.org's "Draw the Line Against Keystone" events, and to find one near you, go here.  You can enter your zipcode in the box on the upper left and find an event near you, or create your own event.You can support a great organization while helping to honor an excellent local activist at the Clean Water Action's Annual Benefit party on Saturday, September 21st from 3 to 5pm, where Boston Climate Action's Loie Hayes will be recognized for her tremendous activism on the local level.There's an interesting event coming to the State House on September 25th.  The 4th Massachusetts Sustainable Economy Conference will take place in the Great Hall, where you can here from speakers such as Alicia Barton of the Mass Clean Energy Center, Steven Clark with the Secretariat of Energy and Environment, and John Kassel, head of the Conservation Law Foundation.  You can learn more and register here.If you're thinking about changing careers toward something more sustainable, the Fifth annual Green Careers Conference is coming up Thursday, October 3rd, at the Marlboro Holiday Inn.Remember, for more climate activities near you check out our MCAN climate action calendar.  You can enter events as well as browse for interesting things to do.As always, it’s been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you.  You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here.  Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email.  You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog.When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Every dollar you give will be doubled by a generous backer, so long as we reach our fundraising goal.  So we will c

This Friday the Climate Minute looks to issues global, domestic, and right here around the corner.  Join Rob and Ted from the Pink and Orange Coffeehouse, and follow along to our conversation with the links below. Here's a link to the Scientific American story highlighting the possible climate contribution to the Arab Spring and the events happening today in that part of the world. For a side-by-side comparison of arctic sea ice between any two dates from 1979 to the present, go here, plug in your dates, and hit "submit." The master site has a wide selection of data sets and tools, including a mobile app! For the chart we mentioned which shows the sea ice area flucuations over the years, go here. We're all going to have to start studying up to answer those skeptics who cherry-pick some data out of the next IPCC report and claim that climate change / global warming has "ended."  This Grist piece is a good place to start. For a Republican economist's defense of a carbon tax, check out Harvard Professor Greg Mankiw's article.  Likewise, this Minnesota Public Radio podcast talks about the latest science of climate change in a very accessible way and might be a good thing to send along to your doubtful friends. Annnnd... here's an interesting piece about The Weather Channel's shift to focusing on the climate impacts of weather.  Perhaps you might share it with your favorite television meteorologist? Here's the story about the discovery of Greenland's sub-glacial "Grand Canyon." As Ted mentioned, he found a couple of interesting musical pieces focusing on the Alberta tar sands - here you go: This coming Tuesday, September 10th, there will be a hearing on S. 1225, a carbon divestment bill filed by Senator Ben Downing.  There will be a rally in front of the State House before the hearing, at 9:30.  The legislation would require the state to divest its pension fund in holdings of carbon stocks.  Massachusetts would be the first state in the nation to take this step. (Several major US cities, including San Francisco and Seattle, have already made this commitment.) There's an interesting event coming to the State House on September 25th.  The 4th Massachusetts Sustainable Economy Conference will take place in the Great Hall, where you can here from speakers such as Alicia Barton of the Mass Clean Energy Center, Steven Clark with the Secretariat of Energy and Environment, and John Kassel, head of the Conservation Law Foundation.  You can learn more and register here. If you're thinking about changing careers toward something more sustainable, the Fifth annual Green Careers Conference is coming up Thursday, October 3rd, at the Marlboro Holiday Inn. You can support a great organization while helping to honor an excellent local activist at the Clean Water Action's Annual Benefit party where Boston Climate Action's Loie Hayes will be recognized for her tremendous activism on the local level. Finally, 350.org's Bill McKibben will be at Harvard giving a talk titled "Oil and Honey, Notes from a Rapidly Changing Climate," hosted by the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement.  The event is free, but registration is required. Remember, for more climate activities near you check out our MCAN climate action calendar.  You can enter events as well as browse for interesting things to do. As always, it’s been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you.  You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here.  Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email.  You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog. When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Every dollar you give will be doubled by a generous backer, so long as we reach our fundraising goal.   So we will close the way we always c